Gaming & Culture —

First review: The Rubik’s Revolution

Did the Rubik's Cube really need an update? We play with the Rubik's …

My review sample of the upcoming Rubik's Revolution came in a rather large box; the cube tumbled out of it loose, no retail packaging. My first thought—and I know I won't be alone in this—was to twist it in the traditional Rubik's Cube way. Nothing doing—this cube is a Rubik's in name and basic design only. The decision to package this electronic toy inside the iconic cube seems to be a marketing one: if it didn't have the Rubik's name attached to it, would we all be talking about the toy as much as we are?

In the middle of each face of the cube is a cavity where a pressure-sensitive light lives. Each of these buttons gives a satisfying click when you push down on it, and the unit has a decent weight and feel. The colored stickers are now shiny, with a hologram pattern that makes the whole thing look a little futuristic. It's clear how you're supposed to play with the toy: you spin the cube in your hand while pressing the lighted buttons. The instructions promise six games based on this premise.

I flipped the switch and the cube lit up and started to talk to me. The sound quality is about what you'd expect from an internal speaker on a $20 toy. It told me to hit a color for a game, and explained which color was for which game. I hit blue, for Light Speed. The cube announced that the game was starting, and away we went.

You hear the sound of a clock ticking down, and you have to spin the cube in your hand to find each light that's turned on, and then press down to turn it off. It sounds simple, and it is, but it gets frantic as the timer clicks down. You have to press your fingers deeply into the cube to push each light, like a mini Gom jabbar for your finger. I spun and spun, frantically turning off the lights. The cube is easy to hold, and I had a good time trying to hold my hands in such a way that I was able to hit the buttons on multiple sides instantly if I saw a light turn on.

Another game, Pattern Panic, is basically a game of Simon Says where the game lights up colors in order, and you have to remember them. Code Cracker has you breaking the code of lights and sides using trial and error, and I find that very amusing, even if it is mostly luck. Cube Catcher lights up the sides quickly and relights the buttons randomly as you turn them off; it really stresses your hand-eye coordination to get as many lights turned off as possible in the limited time you have.

I can tell when the product is a good one when I stop looking at it critically and begin to have fun in my play. The games in the Rubik's Revolution are a lot of fun and are easy to pick up with minimal instruction. I gave it to my five year-old and had him play Light Speed, and he got a kick out of the lights and the DING sound that played when he hit the right ones. I gave it to Luke's grandmother, whose age I won't reveal under penalty of death, and she had a great time with Code Cracker and asked when she could buy one. The Rubik's design is enough to get people's interest, but the six built-in games really are fun, although there isn't a lot of depth to be found.

I do wish you could hard-lock the volume; it can be a little loud at the default level, and you have to turn it down every time you want to play. The process is non-intuitive as well, as you have to hold the silver and yellow sides when you power on the unit and the voice cues you to turn it up or down.

This is an attractive little toy that uses an iconic design to sell some solid games. The Rubik's Revolution is something you'll want to keep on your desk and give a quick play every now and again to keep the boredom away or to get your mind going. It will be released this summer at a $20 price point, and it's certainly worth that. While I expect everyone will try to give it a twist, once they try the included six games I imagine they may even prefer this to the frustrating original.